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Ardent
The Ardent are an elite society of elf-kin dedicated to hunting down and eradicating all shadowcasters and grim dreamers. They are one of the nine Old Guilds, and thus they may travel freely and have diplomatic immunity where ever they go. Because they are elf-kin, their base of operations is in Lo'ail Ailin, but they are found throughout Landfall. Most people view the Ardent as a necessary evil for the preservation and protection of society. Even so, Ardent visits are highly disruptive and unpleasant. First, they summon suspected wizards and witches for Trial. Those who fail the Trial are found guilty. The convict's lips are sewn shut, and he (or she) is summarily executed within the day. The swiftness of Ardent justice is rightfully frightening. There is no appeal and no possibility of pardon. Trial: Many of the tools and techniques of the Ardent are actually magical themselves. Ardent Trial is based on the ancient technique of sh'thaen (literally "another one sees" -- also called "pushing") that was used by mages during the Myriad to "push" pupils with magical potential into a trance-like state where they then perceive the shadow (or the dream). Sh'thaen was imbued into certain jaishen'tarr and maeren'tarr to help mages enter the shadow or the dream. The Ardent now possess all known sh'thaen tarr. Specially-trained Ardent Intercessors use the sh'thaen tarr to push suspects into the shadow (or dream). A different artifact, imbued with another Myriad technique called sona ("hearing" or "vibration"), is then used to detect the telltale echoes of the suspect's presence in the shadow (or dream). Any echoes detected by the sona tarr result in a guilty verdict. Even though sh'thaen and sona are magical spells, and tarr are magically-imbued artifacts, the Ardent use them to identify and execute anyone with even the slightest gift for magic. Because sh'thaen and sona have not been well-understood since the Myriad, and because the many different sh'thaen tarr and sona tarr behave in wildly different ways and sometimes give indecipherable results (depending on the temperament and strength of the artifact's enchantment), the Ardent often forgo them, relying instead on testimonials or other evidence. Very little evidence is required for conviction, and many convictions are based not on evidence of wizardry, but rather on evidence of other undesirable or immoral behavior, such as thievery or adultery. The Ardent thus serve as a traveling moral inquisition of sorts. In fact, only a small minority of Ardent convictions are based on signals from sona tarr. Shadowhunters: The Shadowhunters are an elite warrior caste within the Ardent. They specialize in finding, battling, and apprehending shadowcasters and grim dreamers. They are skilled elf-kin fighters and trackers and are a serious threat to anyone they pursue. Many of the best Shadowhunters secretly (or not-so-secretly) use seized jaishen'tarr and maeren'tarr to track and combat their targets. This is not considered sinful, however, because it is rationalized as "leveling the field" or "the ends justify the means." In particular, the Shadowhunters make heavy use of shadowbane (also known as greyfire). High Raven Itaebi Fellstaff is a prominent Shadowhunter. Intercessors: Intercessors are the "judges" within the Ardent. They preside over Trials and executions. They are typically much better educated about magical philosophy, giving them a better understanding of the nuances of shadows versus dreams, facets and aspects, and other details of magic.